Forget "Dry January" - and go to the pub instead!

I’ve written, at length, about Dry January, on several occasions in the past, with particular regard to the deleterious effect that abstaining from alcohol has on the nation’s pubs. Apologies then if you’ve heard these arguments before, but whilst I might be repeating myself, the truth remains that so-called Dry January is causing serious damage to the licensed trade. With Christmas behind us, and pubs experiencing the usual post-festive fall in footfall, January is the worst month possible for people to abstain from drinking. Worse still January is often the month which breaks a publican’s business, by undermining all the hard work of the year before and, the ones prior to that as well.

Anyone with experience of the licensed trade knows this, and the effects of a poor January often run over into February and March, providing proof that the first quarter of the year can often be the most testing time for many pubs. A combination of post-Christmas blues, poor weather and customers reassessing their leisure budget, clashes head on with licensees paying the same overheads, and struggling to keep their businesses open while.  The last thing the trade needs is Dry January, suppressing their trade even further, and with so many obstacles to overcome, sadly, some pubs do not manage to stay afloat, and find themselves going under.

Because of this effect, a growing number of publicans are suggesting that Alcohol Change UK, the charity behind the January abstinence campaign, should find a better way to raise money without hitting local businesses, but with over five million people in the UK reportedly going without a drink during this month, this virtuous, “look at me” stance is having a disastrous effect on an already struggling hospitality sector.

Alcohol Change UK was formed from a merger of Alcohol Concern and Alcohol Research UK, both well-known, anti-alcohol campaign groups, and neither exactly friends of the licensed trade, or the drinks industry as a whole. Amongst their aims is an outright ban on alcohol advertising, and tighter restrictions for the trade, such as minimum pricing, plus restrictions on alcohol promotions within stores. Dry January should therefore be viewed as a cynical ploy by this anti-alcohol group to damage the drinks trade by persuading people that they will benefit from stopping drinking, using evidence that lacks proper scientific scrutiny.

Unless, one has a serious drink problem, there is no proven health benefit from giving up alcohol completely, but this is not the message Alcohol Change UK are putting across, and it is not the one being received by well-meaning, but rather naïve people who think they are doing the right thing. This New Year is starting off from a position that is even lower than previous years, with many pubs, and even breweries, struggling to cope with an unsustainable dip in trade.

There is nothing wrong with people who, for genuine health or indeed personal reasons, wish to abstain from drink for a period of time, if it genuinely makes them feel good, but why choose the worst time of year possible for the pub trade and inflict even more damage on hard-pressed local businesses? Even worse are those self-satisfied, smug individuals who feel the need to plaster their “achievement” all over social media. So, rather than look at the downside of the drinks trade - as Alcohol Change UK would have us do, why not consider the many positive aspects that pubs, in particular, contribute to social cohesion and a well-balanced society, particularly from a mental health point of view.

Pubs are one of the few remaining places where people can meet in a relaxed, social environment outside of the home, thereby taking an important role in tackling loneliness and isolation. Loneliness can affect anyone at any time in their life, and many people experienced the pain of isolation for the first-time during the lock-downs caused by the pandemic. Since that unfortunate time, a national conversation around loneliness has opened up, like never before. Pubs have always been places of refuge, where licensees and their staff provide stability and regular conversation for many who experience loneliness and social isolation.

They also provide a vital hub for locals to get together as a community, and this is particularly evident in rural settings, where pubs are stepping in to fulfill services, such as post office and library facilities, that may be lacking in the local area. In some instances, the local pub has even doubled up as the village shop, going way beyond the act of just pouring pints. More than ever pubs find themselves, at the heart of the local community, and whether you plan to catch up with an old friend or get to know someone new, there’s no better venue than your local pub or social club.

A similar situation applies in urban areas too, with High Streets across the UK changing, as more and more services and transactions take place online. Opportunities for social interaction have lessened and shared public spaces increasingly lost. This trend was apparent even before the advent of COVID-19, although control measures such as lock-down and social distancing, accelerated it further. This is why it’s more important than ever that we continue to campaign to protect, support and celebrate the local pub.

So, if you really care about pubs, January is definitely NOT the month to be going dry, and whilst I don’t always get out to pubs as much as I used to, or indeed would like to, there is still nothing finer than, “A pint amongst friends.”